A Better Future? It's Possible
by magicforever39
Summary: Umbridge was given a set of seven books about Harry Potter to prove he's a liar and intends to read them in the Great Hall for all the students, teachers, select Ministry workers, and select Order Members. The thing is two and a half of those books are about events that have yet to happen. Will they be able to change the future for the better given this chance?
1. Chapter 1

**_No matter how much I wish I did I do not own Harry Potter. Everything recognizable belongs to J.K. Rowling. The only thing that belongs to me are Veronica and Mira._**

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Veronica stood up wiping her brow with the back of a gloved hand. She had just finished weeding the flowerbeds. She pulled off her gloves and put them in the shed. Veronica was just heading back to her house; she heard the cry of an animal that she didn't recognize. She walked to the side of the shed to see a stormy grey hippogriff tethered there. It fixed her with a stare that almost screamed irritation. After bowing, Veronica started to pet his beak. Staring at him she wondered what he was doing here. Realization suddenly hit her like she'd just been hit upside the head with a frying pan. She spun around and sprinted towards the house ignoring the hippogriff's cry of protest.

The back door slammed open and Veronica stood in the doorway staring at the two men in her kitchen. Well one of them because the other was Remus Lupin who lived there as well. They had turned around at the sound of the slamming door. Remus smiled as a broad grin spread across the other man's face. Veronica's eyes filled with tears. A faint smile appeared on her face and she threw her arms around his neck. "Sirius," she mumbled into his chest, tears slowly starting to fall.

Sirius wrapped his arms around his wife holding her close. He rested his head on top of hers, closing his eyes as he whispered, "Roni." Remus smiled as he watched their reunion after almost fourteen years of being apart. Sirius pulled back from Veronica to wipe away her tears. He tucked a strand of hair and pulled her in for a long sweet kiss. Remus cleared his throat and they separated but still kept their arms around one another. Sirius grinned at his old friend, "I'm not apologizing for that Moony."

Remus chuckled, "I wasn't expecting you to, Padfoot, but you do remember why you came here so worried. Besides your wife or has the sight of her made you forget?

Sirius smirked, "Maybe since she's gotten even more beautiful since I last saw her."

Veronica laughed and it made Sirius's heart swell in happiness and sadness since he wished he could have made her laugh more. "I'm surprised that I haven't gone grey."

"You sure about that because I see one right there," Sirius teased pointing to a hair on her head.

"Now I know you're teasing because I checked this morning." A smile appeared on her face before it fell. "Why did you come because you'd said that you couldn't to keep us safe?"

Sirius sighed, "Come on you should sit down to hear." He led them to the living room and sat on the couch with Veronica beside him. Remus sat on a chair opposite. "Might as well just get straight to the point. Voldemort's back." Remus stared at him in shock and Veronica stiffened.

"How?" Remus asked stunned.

"When?" Veronica asked softly.

"At the end of the Triwizard Tournament. Harry and Cedric Diggory were taken out of the Third Task by the Triwizard Cup which was made a Portkey by a Death Eater who was masquerading as their new Defense teacher. They were taken to a graveyard where Cedric was killed immediately by the rat-" Sirius spat out that word like it was an ugly swear word. Remus growled like the wolf he was and Veronica's eyes narrowed. Sirius took a breath after they had a moment of silence for Cedric and continued, "The rat brought Voldemort back to life and Harry dueled Voldemort briefly before escaping back to Hogwarts with Cedric's body." He pulled Veronica closer as she trembled. "I came here because Dumbledore wants us to start up the Order of the Phoenix again."

Veronica rested her head on Sirius's shoulder as Remus sighed, "Well we'd best get started then."

They sat there talking and drawing up plans and sending letters for a few hours. The clock started to chime and Veronica looked at the clock in horror. "Merlin's pants!" Flying up from the coach she ran around grabbing her jacket and car keys. "I'll be back later!" She ran out the door and Sirius heard a car start.

"Uh Remus am I missing something?" Sirius asked looking confused.

Remus chuckled, "Yes."

"What?"

"Think about it. What's today's date? And what happens today?"

Sirius looked confused before his eyes lit up and he grinned, "No? Really?" Remus just grinned at him.

Veronica hurried into Kings Cross and she reached the barrier for platform 9 ¾ just as the first students were leaving. She watched smiling as a young teen said goodbye to her friends and came over to her. "Hey mum."

"Hey Mira," Veronica smiled hugging her daughter before wheeling her trolley out of the station. "How are you doing?"

Mira shrugged, "Alright I guess. I'm still trying to process what happened at the end of the year. Did you hear-?"

"I heard," Veronica replied sadly as she loaded Mira's trunk and owl into the car. "So what do you want for dinner?"

"What do you think? And how did you find out? It wasn't in the papers."

"You'll find out when you get home. There's a surprise waiting for you."

"Is that why you were late? And I know you were late because you're still in your gardening things."

Veronica stuck her tongue at Mira, "I got distracted."

"Did Uncle Remus get distracted too?"

"Yes." She pulled into the driveway and they got out of the car. They headed into the house with Mira's school things. They set the trunk and owl cage in the hall temporarily. "Come on I want you to meet someone." Mira slipped behind her mother always nervous about meeting new people for the first time. "There's nothing to worry about." Veronica smiled and walked into the living room. Sirius and Remus looked at her, Remus fairly calmly with an underlying excitement while Sirius was almost bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Come on." She held her hand out to Mira who slowly came into the doorway. However, all her nervousness disappeared when she saw Sirius.

A broad grin spread across her face and she ran at Sirius. "Dad!" She tackled him in a hug causing him to chuckle and hug her back.

Veronica walked up smiling, "Meet our daughter, Mira."

Sirius looked at his wife, "You had to continue my family's tradition of naming our children after stars didn't you?"

"Yes. Yes I did."

"I'm glad," Sirius grinned. "Photo albums I take it? That's how she recognized me."

Veronica nodded, "I'll let you two catch up while I fix dinner. Afterwards I'll show you some photos Sirius."

"What's for dinner?" Sirius asked her, eyes dancing.

"Food as you very well know."

"What kind?"

"The kind you eat, what else would it be?"

"I was hoping for something a little more specific."

"Well too bad."

"Can't you give me a hint?"

"Nope."

"Not even a little one?"

"No and don't even think about giving me the puppy dog eyes."

"Aw come on Roni." Veronica poked her head around the doorframe that led to the kitchen to see Sirius pouting and both Remus and Mira laughing. She grinned and headed back into the kitchen.

"I have missed you two doing that," Remus chuckled. "Dinner hasn't been the same without it." Sirius laughed and sat down on the couch. After a while he started to sniff the air just like a dog.

"Please tell me that's what I think it is."

"Well that depends on what you think it is, Dad," Mira replied cheekily.

Sirius stared at her before laughing, "Well glad to see you got my sense of humor instead of your mother's lack of one."

"I heard that and she's not nearly as bad as you. Just because I was a Ravenclaw doesn't mean I don't have a sense of a humor and I do have one as you well know Sirius." Veronica came back in the room grinning at her husband. "Dinner's ready."

"What is it?" Sirius whined.

"Remus and Mira know," Veronica replied. "It's the same thing that we have every night Mira gets back from Hogwarts. If you come to the table you'll know. But wash up first."

When Sirius saw the food he grinned and kissed Veronica, "I love you. You made my favorite."

"Well lasagna is your daughter's favorite as well. Don't worry I made plenty of extra. I know you can't have had much to eat lately being on the run for nearly two years after Azkaban for twelve." Sirius kissed her again and then they sat down to eat. Afterwards they gathered in the living room to look at photos of Mira's childhood.

* * *

**Okay I'm planning on making this a Reading the Books story but I wanted to introduce my characters first and I was wondering if you think I should carry on with it. If I do should I have any Molly, Ginny, Ron, and/or Dumbledore bashing or should not have that? Please give me your opinions in a review because I want to know if people will be interested in it.**


	2. Chapter 2

"All students will proceed to the Great Hall immediately," Umbridge's voice echoed through the school.

"What does the toad want now?" Harry said as he, Hermione, Ron, Fred, George, Mira and Ginny left the Gryffindor common room.

"No idea, but it can't be good," Hermione replied.

When they entered the Great Hall they saw Umbridge sitting smugly at the teachers' table. Once everyone had sat down at the house tables she stood up. "This morning I was in my office and there was a bright flash of light. When it was gone there were a set of seven books and a letter on my desk. The letter says:

_Dear Madam Umbridge,_

_ We know that you are seeking a way to prove that Harry Potter is lying and so we've decided to help. We have sent you seven books about each of Harry's years at Hogwarts. They detail everything that happens and we swear that everything is completely true. However these books can only be read if the following people are present at the reading: all students and teachers of Hogwarts, Cornelius Fudge, Amelia Bones, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks, Percy Weasley, Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Bill Weasley, Charlie Weasley, Remus Lupin, Veronica Black and her dog Snuffles, and Alastor Moody. If any of these people are not present the books will be blank. They must be read in order and if you try to look ahead they will also be blank._

_ Oh you may have may noticed that two of the books are from Harry's last two years and thus haven't happened yet. Because so many terrible things happened in those years, we are giving you the chance to change your futures. _

_From _

_T.R.L., C.S.B., J.E.B., V.W., D.W., L.W., M.W., L.W., F.W., R.W., J.S.P., A.S.P., L.L.P., R.W., H.W., S.H.M._

_P.S. No points or detentions may be given for events in the books as they have already happened or will happen. _

As Umbridge finished reading the letter the doors opened and everyone that had been named in the letter entered the room. "Mum!" Mira said standing up to hug Veronica before petting Snuffles. Ginny, Ron, Fred, and George greeted their parents and two older brothers as Percy ignored them and stayed with the Minister who had joined Umbridge at the staff table who explained what was going on. Remus hugged Harry and then Snuffles greeted him. Tonks, the older Weasleys, Veronica, and Remus sat at the Gryffindor table with Snuffles on the floor near his family and Harry. Amelia (who had talked to Umbridge about was this was all about) and Kingsley sat with the teachers and Moody stayed standing.

"Now that we're all here we'll begin," Umbridge said picking up the first book. "The first book is called _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone._"

**Chapter 1 The Boy Who Lived**

** Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. **

"You're very welcome," Fred, George and Mira replied grinning.

"Don't interrupt!" Umbridge snapped before returning to the book.

**They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense. **

** Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. **

"What are drills?" Mr. Weasley asked curiously.

Professor Burbage who taught Muggle Studies spoke up, "I will answer any questions about Muggle things during breaks so if there is anything anyone wants to know about, make a list."

**He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. **

_That is Petunia alright, _Snape thought.

**The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.**

"Small?" Harry asked as Fred, George, Ron, and Mr. Weasley who had all seen him laughed.

** The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. **

"What is it that they are a zoo?" Fred and George asked.

**They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended that she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband **

"James/My dad was not good for nothing!" Harry, Remus, and Veronica snapped. Sirius barked angrily in agreement with his wife, friend and godson.

**were as unDursleyish **

"Not a word," Hermione, Remus, Veronica and the Ravenclaws muttered in annoyance.

**as it was possible to be. The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.**

"A child like what?" Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Mira and a few others who cared about Harry asked waspishly.

** When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, grey Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.**

"He's such a brat," Mrs. Weasley and Veronica said.

** None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.**

** At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls. "Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive. **

"Little?" those that had seen Dudley asked again.

"He's encouraging it?" Mrs. Weasley and Veronica asked outraged as mothers at that bad parenting.

** It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar – a cat reading a map. For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen – then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat sitting on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. **

"It's McGonagall!" Fred and George cheered as Remus said, "Its Minnie!"

"How do you now it's me?" McGonagall asked before glaring at Remus. "I thought I told you not to call me that Mr. Lupin." Remus just shrugged as he smirked and McGonagall groaned.

"Enough with the interruptions!" Umbridge shrieked fed up with people interrupting and wanting to get to the parts that would get Potter in trouble and prove he's a liar.

**What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive – no **_looking_** at the sigh; cats couldn't read maps **_or_** signs. **

"McGonagall can," Mira said grinning.

**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day. **

"That's almost all he cares about," Harry muttered.

** But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks. **

"What's strange about that?" A Slytherin asked.

"Muggles don't wear cloaks," Hermione replied, "and haven't for hundreds of years."

**Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes – the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdoes standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! **

"How dare he!" Fred and George said laughing.

**But then it struck Mr. Dursley that his was probably some silly stunt – these people were obviously collecting for something... yes, that would be it. The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills. **

** Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to office on the ninth floor. **

"Well that's boring," Mira said.

**If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. **_He_** didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people on the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime. **

"What? How do they get their mail?" Lavender asked confused.

"People deliver it to them every day except Sunday which is a day of rest," Hermione explained.

**Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road **

"Wait what?" Harry asked shocked.

**to buy himself a bun from the bakery.**

"Oh okay that makes sense."

** He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

** "The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard-"**

** "-yes, their son, Harry-"**

The adults realized what day it was and most looked down in grief (Snape worked on keeping his emotions from showing, while Umbridge and Fudge didn't do anything). Sirius whined and Veronica stroked his fur. Harry laid his head on the table.

** Mr. Dursley stopped dead. **

"I wish," Harry muttered. Remus heard and wondered just how bad Harry's uncle was.

**Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it. **

"Didn't know he could think," Ron said trying to cheer up his best friend.

** He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking… no, he was being stupid. **

"Well glad to see you know it," Veronica said already disliking Harry's uncle.

**Potter wasn't such an unusual name. **

"It is in the wizarding world," Draco said to the shock of many. "What my parents made sure I knew my family tree and the noble houses which includes the Potter family."

**He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew **_was_** called Harry. **

"He doesn't know your name?!" Hermione asked.

"Still don't think he does," Harry replied in a low voice shocking those nearby him that heard.

**He'd never seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold. **

Harry made a face at those names. Remus chuckled, "Lily and James would never name their children Harvey or Harold."

**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her – if **_he'd_** had a sister like that… **

"Like your sister is so great," Harry snarled.

**but all the same, those people in cloaks…**

** He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.**

"Ouch that had to hurt," Ron said grimacing.

** "Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at almost being knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passerby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!**

"Was that you Professor?" a Ravenclaw asked Flitwick who nodded slightly pink.

** And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and waked off. **

"Had to use a Stretching Charm to do so though," Flitwick muttered making McGonagall who was sitting next to him smile slightly.

** Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.**

Fred, George and Mira stared at the book in complete shock before crying together, "How can you not approve of imagination?"

** As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw – and it didn't improve his mood – was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.**

"Definitely Minnie," Veronica said ignoring McGonagall's groan at the fact that Remus and Sirius had got her using that ridiculous nickname.

** "Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.**

"Won't work," several Gryffindors said grinning.

** The cat didn't more. It just gave him a stern look. **

"We know that look," Fred, George, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Mira, and Remus said. When Mira said she knew it Veronica gave Sirius a look that said 'I blame you for that.' He just grinned at her.

**Was this normal cat behavior? **

"It's normal McGonagall behavior," the trio said.

**Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention this to his wife.**

"Coward," a Gryffindor sixth year said.

** Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!"). **

"And that's good how?" Veronica asked an eyebrow raised. "He's already becoming a brat."

**Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:**

** "And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?"**

** "Well, Ted,"**

"Hey that's my dad," Tonks said brightening up slightly.

** said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls hat have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! **

"Probably was Dedalus Diggle," Remus said.

**Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early – it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."**

** Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters…**

"Great he's putting it together," a Hufflepuff seventh year said.

"Well he did have prior knowledge of us," her friend said.

** Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er – Petunia, dear – you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"**

** As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.**

"That's just wrong," Pavarti muttered unable to imagine that ever happening to her and Padma.

** "No," she said sharply. "Why?"**

** "Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls… shooting stars… and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today…"**

_"So?" _**snapped Mrs. Dursley.**

** "Well, I just thought… maybe… it was something to do with…you know… **_her_** crowd."**

"Her crowd?" several people asked. "What's that supposed to mean."

"Witches and wizards," Harry explained

** Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could. "Their son – he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?"**

** "I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.**

** "What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?"**

** "Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."**

"I think it's a great name," Ginny snapped before turning pink. Harry went pink as well. Cho glared at them still not over her disastrous date with Harry on Valentine's Day, but still wanting to try again.

** "Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."**

** He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.**

"What are you doing there Professor?" Colin asked. McGonagall didn't answer knowing it would come up in the book.

** Was he imagining things? **

"You can't be because you don't approve of imagination," Mira said.

**Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did… if it got out that they were related to a pair of – well, he didn't think he could bear it. **

** The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters **_were_** involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about hem and their kind….He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on – he yawned and turned over – it couldn't affect **_them_**….**

"You just jinxed it," Dean said.

** Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.**

** A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. **

"No he Apparated," A Ravenclaw seventh year said.

**The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.**

** Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver hair of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice.**

"Dumbledore!" several students cheered to Fudge and Umbridge's irritation.

**This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.**

** Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. **

"I knew I just didn't care," Dumbledore said smiling.

**He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."**

** He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. He clicked it again – the next lamp flickered into darkness. **

"Awesome!" Dennis said eyes wide. "What is it sir?"

"It is my Deluminator that I invented Mr. Creevey," Dumbledore replied.

"Cool," Dennis breathed.

**Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.**

** "Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."**

"Knew it!" the twins and Mira cheered.

** He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.**

** "How did you know it was me?" she asked.**

** "My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."**

"You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," Hermione said.

** "You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.**

"Hermione thinks like McGonagall," the twins said causing Hermione to go pink

** "All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."**

** Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.**

** "Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no – even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls… shooting stars…. Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent – I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."**

"The Statute of Secrecy was well and truly broken that day," McGonagall sighed.

** "You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."**

"Wow that was longer than the two World Wars combined," Hermione said surprised.

** "I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."**

** She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really **_has_** gone, Dumbledore?"**

** "It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"**

"A what?" a pureblood Hufflepuff asked.

** "A **_what_**?"**

The Hufflepuff that had asked the same thing went pink.

** "A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."**

** "No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. **

"My dear Professor it is always the time for lemon drops," Dumbledore said.

**"As I say, even if You-Know-Who **_has_** gone-"**

** "My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense – for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: **

Umbridge stared at the page unable to say the name. Harry rolled his eyes and snapped, "Voldemort."

**Professor McGonagall flinched, **

As did the majority of the hall.

**but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying **

Umbridge again couldn't say his name so again Harry snapped, "Voldemort's." Almost everyone flinched again.

**name."**

** "I know you haven't," said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, **

Pause. "Voldemort! It's just a name get over it!" Harry yelled frustrated as everyone that flinches at the name flinched again.

**was frightened of."**

** "You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "**

"Voldemort!"

**had powers I will never have."**

** "Only because you're too – well – **_noble_** to use them."**

** "It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so must since Madam Pomfrey told me she like my new earmuffs."**

"Too much information!" Mira and the twins cried.

** Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the **_rumors_** that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"**

At this reminder most people looked down in sadness. Harry buried his head in his arms on the table blocking out everything. Sirius rested his head on Veronica's lap.

** It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat not as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.**

** "What they're **_saying_**," she pressed on, "is that last night **

"Voldemort," Harry grumbled from his position.

**turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are – are – that they're – **_dead_**."**

Many people's eyes filled with tears. Harry cried into his arms while Hermione and Ron comforted him. Remus and Veronica were both crying and Veronica was also stroking her husband's furry head as he whimpered in grief for his best friend and his wife who was like a sister to him. No one saw the single tear that fell down Snape's face for his Lily.

** Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.**

** "Lily and James… I can't believe it… I didn't want to believe it… Oh, Albus…"**

"James would have liked to have known that you cared since you were his favorite professor," Remus said as McGonagall dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief.

** Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know… I know…" he said heavily.**

** Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potters' son, Harry. But – he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, **

"Voldemort's," Dumbledore said as Harry was in no state to do so himself.

**power somehow broke – and that's why he's gone."**

** Dumbledore nodded glumly.**

** "It's – it's **_true_**?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done… all the people he's killed… he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding… of all the things to stop him… but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"**

** "We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know."**

"That's something we'd all like to know," a Slytherin said.

** Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. **

"What kind of watch is that?" a Muggleborn asked and several Slytherin purebloods looked insulted.

**It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back it his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"**

** "Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me **_why_** you're here, of all places?"**

** "I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now."**

** "You don't mean – you **_can't_** mean the people who live **_here_**?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore – you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son – I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. **

"She better not have given in," Veronica muttered.

**Harry Potter come and live here!"**

"Please keep fighting Professor," Harry said causing McGonagall to be shocked and for her, Remus and Sirius to look at him worriedly.

**"It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter."**

"A LETTER!" Mrs. Weasley, Veronica and Hermione shrieked. "Do you really thing you can explain everything in a letter?!"

** "A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous – a legend – I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter Day **

Harry went pale, "Please tell me there isn't."

"Why would there be a day named after a liar?" Umbridge asked.

"Don't worry Harry there isn't," Remus told him quietly.

**in the future – there will be books written about Harry **

"Wish there weren't," Harry muttered the only reason he wasn't protesting about having to read the books would be that everyone would know the truth about Voldemort being back and Sirius would be able to be proven to be innocent.

**– every child in our world will know his name!"**

"Unfortunately."

** "Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! **

"Well that's not really true anymore thanks to the Dementors," Harry sighed.

**Can't you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"**

** Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes – yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.**

"You better not be," Mrs. Weasley growled.

** "Hagrid's bringing him."**

** "You think it – **_wise_** – to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

"I would trust Hagrid with my life," Harry said causing Hagrid to beam.

_Filthy half-breed, _Umbridge thought.

** "I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.**

** "I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. **

"Apologies Hagrid," McGonagall said and Hagrid waved it off.

**He does tend to – what was that?"**

** A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky – and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.**

Sirius barked happily at the mention of his bike.

** If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so **_wild_** – long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

** "Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relived. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"**

** "Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sire."**

Sirius barked happily again while many other people's eyes narrowed at the mention of the man who betrayed the Potters.

** "No problems, were there?"**

** "No, sir – house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarming around. He fell asleep as we as flyin' over Bristol." **

"You always would fall asleep whenever you rode on it," Remus told Harry who beamed. "So did Mira."

Veronica glared at Remus, "We'll talk about that later." She gave a pointed look to her husband as well. He and Remus looked sheepish.

** Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

Many of the girls cooed at the description to Harry's embarrassment.

** "Is that where - ?" whispered Professor McGonagall.**

** "Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever."**

** "Couldn't you do something about it Dumbledore?"**

"Wish he could," Harry grumbled hating his scar since it almost constantly burned now and everyone stared at it.

** "Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself that is a perfect amp of the London Underground. **

"That's strange," a young half-blood said.

**Well – give him here, Hagrid – we'd better get this over with." **

** Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house.**

** "Could I – could I say good-bye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

Sirius let out the same howl causing his wife to hit him slightly on the head in irritation. "Really Snuffles?" He just grinned at her.

** "Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "you'll wake the Muggles!"**

"The bike might have already done that," Seamus said.

** "S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it – Lily an' James dead – an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles-"**

** "Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself , Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, **

"You left him on the doorstep?!" Molly shrieked. Veronica just stared at the headmaster shocked that he would do such a thing. "In November?"

"There were protective and warming charms on the blankets," Dumbledore assured her.

**took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.**

As it was now.

** "Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations." **

** "Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'd best get this bike away. G'night, Professor McGonagall – Professor Dumbledore, sir."**

Sirius pouted slightly having never gotten his bike back.

** Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.**

** "I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.**

** Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four. **

** "Good luck, Harry," he murmured. **

"I'll need it," Harry sighed to himself but Remus heard thanks to his werewolf hearing and got more worried about what his home life was like.

**He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.**

** A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, **

The girls who had cooed before cooed again.

**not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, **

"Well that's a pleasant way to wake up," Ginny said sarcastically.

**nor that he would spend the next weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley…. **

Harry grimaced in memory.

**He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter – the boy who lived!"**

Umbridge closed the book, "That's the end of the chapter. Who's going to read next because I don't want to read this all by myself?"

"I will," McGonagall said taking the book from her colleague. Before she could start reading there was a bright flash of light.

* * *

**Wow I didn't expect the response that I got for this story. Thanks to all those who are now following or have favorite this story. I have decided that I am going to continue it and it will most likely be fairly canon and no bashing. I'm not sure though when I'll next be updating because I have college finals coming up in a couple weeks so I'm going to be fairly busy getting ready for those. Anyways thanks for all the support and if you want to guess at who the two sets of initials C.S.B and J.E.B. belong to and who their parents are feel free to do so. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry about the wait but it takes a really long time to type up the chapters before adding the comments. If anyone wants to send me the chapters typed up you could let me know in a pm if you want updates to be faster. I think my updates will probably be around every three weeks to a month depending on what I have going on. I am leaving on vacation in the next couple weeks and so will be without internet for a few weeks but that won't stop me from typing up the chapters ready. Anyways thank you so much for the response to my story. I never thought I'd already have 37 followers and 25 people favoriting it. So thank you to all of you who have favorited or are following A Better Future? It's Possible...**

**Disclaimer: The only things I own in this story are Veronica, Mira, C.S.B., and J.E.B.. If you think I own anything in bold you need to see a doctor because obviously I am not J.K. Rowling because if I was I wouldn't be living in the United States and wouldn't be on Fanfiction. This is all for fun.**

* * *

**Just in case any of you are wondering here are those who are writing the letters to the readers. **

**Letter Writers: **

**T.R.L. - Teddy Remus Lupin - son of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks, godson of Harry Potter and Mira Black**

**C.S.B. and J.E.B. - ****Ok I'm going to be evil and not tell you who these two are or who their parents are. Maybe I will in a couple of chapters but for now I'll let you guess. Tell me what you think in a review or PM. I want to see what you guys think.**

**V.W. - Victoire Weasley - daughter of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour**

**D.W. - Dominique Weasley - daughter of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour**

**L.W. - Louis Weasley - son of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour**

**M.W. - Molly Weasley II - daughter of Percy Weasley and Audrey**

**L.W. - Lucy Weasley - daughter of Percy Weasley and Audrey **

**F.W. - Fred Weasley II - son of George Weasley and Angelina Johnson**

**R.W. - Roxanne Weasley - daughter of George Weasley and Angelina Johnson**

**J.S.P. - James Sirius Potter - son of Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley**

**A.S.P. - Albus Severus Potter - son of Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley**

**L.L.P. - Lily Luna Potter - daughter of Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley**

**R.W. - Rose Weasley - daughter of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger**

**H.W. - Hugo Weasley - son of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger**

**S.H.M. - Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy - son of Draco Malfoy and Daphne Greengrass**

* * *

_Umbridge closed the book, "That's the end of the chapter. Who's going to read next because I don't want to read this all by myself?"_

_"I will," McGonagall said taking the book from her colleague. Before she could start reading there was a bright flash of light._

* * *

As the light faded everyone in the hall saw two people, a man and a woman, looking around in slight confusion. The man turned to the headmaster and said, "Sir why are we at Hogwarts? I thought we were supposed to be in hiding." The hall broke into surprised murmuring when they noticed that the man looked just like Harry. Harry was staring at the two newcomers in shock as were Veronica, Snuffles, Remus, Mira, and the teachers who all recognized them as James and Lily Potter.

A letter appeared in front of Dumbledore and he picked it up saying, "This might answer your question Mr. Potter." He read the letter out to the stunned hall:

_Sorry about the wait but it took us longer than we thought to perform the spell to bring Lily and James Potter here from their time which is around the 23rd of October 1981. Time is stopped back in their time so you don't have to worry about baby Harry Lily. Anyways we brought you here to read about Harry's past and future school years with him. We don't know if you'll be able to change your futures but we will be looking to see if you will be able to. So enjoy the reading though it might be better if you changed the tables to couches since you'll be reading for a while._

_T.R.L., C.S.B., J.E.B._

Dumbledore asked the students all to stand up and with a wave of his wand changed the tables and benches into couches. "Feel free to sit where ever you like."

James and Lily headed over to where Dumbledore had told them their son and old friends were. James let out a small chuckle when they reached the group, "Well there's no need to ask which one of you is Harry." He smiled at Harry while Lily moved in to give Harry a big hug. "You look just like me."

"That he does," Lily said smiling as she looked at Harry. "But you've got my eyes."

Harry nodded, "I get told that a lot."

"I think we were all shocked at how much he looked like you," Remus said as James hugged Harry.

"Remus," Lily smiled and went to hug him. "It's good to see you Remus."

James turned to his old friend, "Wow Remus you look old." He gripped Remus in a hug chuckling.

"It has been fourteen years for us." Veronica said from where she was kneeling next to Snuffles comforting him since he couldn't greet his best friends properly. Lily smiled and hugged her while looking at the dog in slight confusion.

She moved to pet Sirius while James took her place. "Why is Sirius in his Animagus form?" he whispered to her.

"It's a long story. You'll find out in the-" She glanced at Harry who said, "Third book."

"Why are we reading books about you anyway?" Lily asked her son who shrugged. "The Ministry is trying to prove that I'm a lying attention seeker."

James growled before Lily realized something from their friends' reactions to seeing them, "What happened to us?"

Remus sighed before saying in a low voice, "Voldemort killed you on Halloween." Lily put her hands up to her mouth in shock while James put his arm around her. "He tried to kill Harry but it backfired and he disappeared."

"Disappeared?" James said.

"He came back over the summer," Veronica answered. "Hence why the Ministry is trying to discredit Harry. They don't believe that Voldemort is back."

"Who are your friends Harry?" Lily said trying to distract herself from the fact that in about a week's time in their time both she and James would be killed and Voldemort would try to kill their son. Harry went around the circle of couches introducing, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George, Bill, and Charlie. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley greeted Lily and James.

"Hey Uncle James, Aunt Lily," Mira said grinning.

"Uh Lily do you have any siblings other than Petunia?" James asked confused. "Because I was an only child and she obviously isn't Petunia's child." Remus, Mira and Veronica chuckled as Lily shook her head. Sirius barked a couple times in what seemed like laughter. "Ok then why did you call us uncle and aunt?"

"Well since you, my dad, and Uncle Remus were as close as brothers I figured that would make you my uncles," Mira said grinning.

Lily chuckled, "Now I remember. It's only been about a month since you told us back in our time Veronica."

"I said it then and I'll say it again, Congratulations." James said grinning.

"Are we ready to continue?" Dumbledore asked. "You can catch up some more in the next break." They all nodded and sat down.

McGonagall opened the book and read **Chapter 2 The Vanishing Glass**

Harry groaned, "Can we just skip to when I start Hogwarts?"

"No we are reading everything," Umbridge said sweetly. "Otherwise one might think you're hiding something." Harry glared up at her hating the fact that his home life would be read out for everyone to hear. Remus, Veronica, James, and Lily looked at him wondering what made him have that kind of reaction.

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, **

Lily stared at McGonagall in shock, "Wait did you just say Dursleys?! And they found my baby on the front step?!"

"Dursley, Dursley, why is that name familiar?" James said.

"Dursley is Petunia's married name," Lily said before turning to Dumbledore. "He can't live with my sister. She'll hate him."

"It was the safest place for him," Dumbledore said. "It'll be explained later on." Harry's eyes narrowed. He hadn't been told anything about why he had to live with his aunt.

**but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. **

"Seriously?" George said surprised.

"The Burrow is always changing." Fred added.

"The Dursley's don't like change," Harry told them.

**The sun rose up on the same tidy font gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. **

"Boring," Mira yawned.

**Only the photographs on the mantleplace really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different colored bonnets **

"Beach ball," Ron chuckled. "Sounds about right."

**but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blonde boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousal at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house too.**

"And why is that?" Lily asked.

"Did Remus or Veronica and Sirius take you away?" James asked. Harry shook his head and Lily looked worried.

** Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.**

"I'm sorry," Lily said. "That isn't pleasant at all." Snape grimaced slightly to himself remembering that shrill voice from his childhood.

** "Up! Get up! Now!"**

** Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.**

** "Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. **

Fred, George, and Ron looked confused. "Wait I thought your bedroom is on the second floor mate," Ron said. Harry nodded confusing the three brothers.

"I slept here before then," Harry sighed realizing the cupboard was being brought up. Fred and George looked at each other confused and then they realized what the only 'room' downstairs that wasn't the kitchen, dining room, or living room.

**He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.**

"You remembered that?" a seventh year Ravenclaw asked.

"Good memory Potter," Moody said when Harry nodded making some people who had forgotten he was there jump.

** His aunt was back outside the door.**

** "Are you up yet?" she demanded.**

"Give him some time," Tonks snapped.

** "Nearly," said Harry.**

** "Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."**

"They made you cook?!" Mrs. Weasley said shocked.

"Since you were what age?" James asked.

Harry muttered something and after his father told him to speak up said, "Since I could see over the stove with a stool."

"As unhappy as I am with that," Lily sighed, "it's not terrible. Petunia can't cook to save her life so at least if someone else cooked the food would be edible."

** Harry groaned**

** "What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door.**

"He didn't say anything," Ginny snapped.

**"Nothing, nothing…."**

**Dudley's birthday – how could he have forgotten? **

"Simple you didn't want to remember," Hermione told him.

**Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, **

Ron shuddered.

**put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, **

"How can you be used to spiders," Ron asked Harry who shrugged preparing himself for everyone's reactions to when they found out about the cupboard in a minute.

"What does the cupboard have to do with anything?" Lily growled not liking where this was going.

Fred and George's eyes narrowed before widening in realization.

Dumbledore looked at McGonagall who was staring at the page her lips the thinnest he'd seen. "Are you going to continue Professor McGonagall?"

She turned to look at him. "I told you that he shouldn't stay with them. I told you." She spat out the rest of the sentence so everyone could know what had her so angry. No one mistreats one of her lions.

**and that was where he slept.**

There was dead silence for a moment before, "A CUPBOARD?!" Lily, James, Molly, Veronica, Hermione, and Mira shrieked. Arthur, Bill, Charlie, the twins, Ginny, several of Harry's friends and some of the Professors looked furious.

"Oh when I get my hands on you Petunia you will wish you had treated my son better," Lily growled.

Mira had moved next to Fred and George and they had their heads bent over a piece of parchment as they plotted ways to get back at the Dursleys. James, Remus and Veronica were doing the same thing. Sirius was growling at the book.

Amelia Bones decided that it would be a good idea to start making a note of the offenses of the Dursleys because locking a child in a cupboard was child abuse and if she had a record of it charges could be pressed against the Dursleys.

Snape was in shock that the Potter boy's childhood was looking to be more like his which isn't something he'd wish on anyone. Not even the son of his worst enemy.

"He's not going back there Albus," McGonagall told Dumbledore. "No matter what protections there are."

The majority of the Hall were sitting in shock that The Boy-Who-Lived had been forced to live in a cupboard by his own relatives.

"Why didn't you say anything Harry?" Hermione asked as she and Ron looked at Harry in concern.

"It never came up and I have a room now so it's not such a big deal." Harry replied before looking at McGonagall to continue reading.

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all of Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. **

Mr. Weasley wrote down the new Muggle things on his list.

"Why would he need a second TV?" Hermione wondered.

"I'm more curious as to why he wanted a racing bike," Ron said knowing just how large Dudley was from when he, his brothers, and father went to pick Harry up for the Cup the summer before fourth year.

**Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise – unless of course it involved punching somebody. **

"That better not have been you," James growled.

**Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry, but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.**

"No kidding," Ron said. "When he gets going we have difficulties keeping up with him."

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age. **

"That's not all the cupboard Harry," Remus said. "James was a scrawny midget until sixth year."

"Yea- Hey!" James protested to laughter. "That's not cool Moony."

The twins' eyes lit up. "Wait. Moony?" "As in Moony of the Marauders?"

"Yeah, that was our group in school," James replied. "We all had nicknames. I was Prongs, Sirius was Padfoot, Remus was Moony, and Peter was Wormtail." Sirius and Veronica growled at the mention of the rat and Harry, Hermione, Ron, Remus, and Mira's eyes narrowed.

James was about to ask why Peter wasn't there and why they reacted like that when the twins said, "We were taught by a Marauder. Awesome!" They paused for a moment and George turned to Harry, "Why didn't you tell us you were the son of a Marauder?"

"Well you'd probably would've wanted to know how we found out and probably would've had difficulties believing us since we found out at the end of third year." Harry replied.

Fred was staring at Mira, "You didn't tell us either Mira? I'm hurt." He put his hand to his heart in mock pain.

Mira laughed, "Sorry. Hey did you know my dad is Padfoot. That better?" Fred stuck his tongue at her.

McGonagall groaned knowing that they would probably team up. She continued reading to hopefully distract them from any planning.

**He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was. **

Lily growled and muttered something about making Petunia pay.

**Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, **

"That's all James," Remus said smiling.

**and bright green eyes. **

"Lily's," James said looking into her green eyes smiling not knowing that up at the top table Snape had thought the same thing.

**He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. **

Those who cared about Harry looked at the book furiously half wishing Dudley were here so they could curse him.

**The only thing Harry liked about his appearance was a very thing scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning. **

_Proof that Potter's just as arrogant as his father, _Snape thought

"Whoa whoa whoa hold up," Ron looked at his best friend. "You actually liked it?"

"It was before what I knew what it meant," Harry said shrugging. "I had thought that it looked cool and it was unique."

**He had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it.**

**"In the car crash when your parents died,"**

"Car crash?!" Remus and Veronica asked furiously.

"We wouldn't have died in a car crash Petunia how dare you lie to my son," Lily growled.

"I'd say we're better drivers than you and your whale of a husband," James grumbled.

**she had said. "And don't ask questions."**

**_Don't ask questions _– that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.**

McGonagall and the other Professors besides Umbridge looked over at Harry. "Mr. Potter is that why you don't ask questions in class," McGonagall asked Harry who didn't answer but his silence was answer enough.

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon.**

**"Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.**

"Won't work. Unfortunately nothing will tame the Potter hair," Lily sighed causing James to shudder and Remus, Veronica, and Sirius to laugh. "I'll tell you later Harry."

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way – all over the place.**

"Ah that's the Potter curse," James said grinning.

**Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blonde hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. **

"So a pig in a wig?" Ginny asked making Harry blush when he remembered what he said.

"Ginny!" Mira cried indignantly. "Don't insult the pigs!"

**Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel – Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.**

"Gin-Gin thinks like Harry!" the twins cried but quieted when a red Ginny pointed her wand at them.

"Don't make me hex you."

Mira was glaring at Harry, "What did I just tell Ginny? Don't insult the pigs Harry. They are far more intelligent than your cousin."

**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.**

"He can count?" Lee asked confused.

**"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."**

"Wow even I don't get that much," Draco said shocked.

"Wow he can actually count up to thirty six possibly thirty eight," Hermione said shocked.

**"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mummy and Daddy."**

**"All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.**

"That's right save the bacon," Ron said nodding and causing his friends and family to chuckle.

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that popkin? _Two_ more presents. Is that all right?"**

"That's not how you deal with that situation," Veronica grumbled.

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty…thirty…."**

"Oh Merlin he can't add," Molly said stunned.

**"Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.**

**"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."**

**Uncle Vernon chuckled.**

**"Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.**

"That's just terrible parenting," Professor Sprout sighed.

"I thought we'd been over this-" "-Dudley isn't little." The twins said.

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. **

Scratching could be heard from Mr. Weasley and some of the other students as they made note of the Muggle items.

**He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.**

**"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him." She jerked her head in Harry's direction.**

"He has a name," Ron and Hermione snarled.

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. **

"They didn't take you anywhere?" James asked. Harry shook his head and Lily's eyes narrowed.

**Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.**

**"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this. Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.**

Hermione blinked, "Crookshanks is a much better name."

**"We could always phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.**

**"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy."**

"Feeling is quite mutual," Harry growled.

"Is that the one you-?" Ron asked and he laughed when Harry grinned and nodded.

**The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there – or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

**"What about what's-her-name, your friend – Yvonne?"**

"They're still friends?" Lily wondered.

**"On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

**"You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).**

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon. **

**"And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.**

"He wouldn't blow up the house," ginny said indignantly.

**"I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening.**

Ginny went pink and glared at her brothers while fingering her wand as if daring them to make a comment.

**"I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "…and leave him in the car…."**

**"That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone…"**

"Sure worry about your car not your nephew," Lily growled.

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying – it had been years since he'd really cried – but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.**

**"Dinky Diddydums, **

The Hall laughed at the ridiculous nickname.

**don't cry. Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.**

**"I… don't… want… him… t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge pretend sobs. "He always sp-spoils everything!" He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms. **

**Just then, the doorbell rang – "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically – and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.**

"If you can't cry in front of your friends then they aren't really your friends," Mira said.

**Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. **

James, Lily, Sirius, Veronica and Remus looked down upset with themselves that they couldn't do anything to make his childhood better.

**His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.**

**"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, "I'm warning you now, boy – any funny business, anything at all – and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."**

"He wouldn't?!" Hermione asked.

"Hermione I was here for Christmas remember," Harry reminded her.

**"I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly…"**

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did.**

"Most still don't," Harry sighed.

**The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen. **

"So we get to hear about some accidental magic now?" James asked happily.

**Once, Aunt Petunia tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses. Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off. He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he _couldn't _explain how it had grown back so quickly.**

"Petunia knows about accidental magic," Lily shrieked indignantly.

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls). **

Lavender and Pavarti looked like they were going to be sick.

**The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. Aunt Petunia had decided that it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished.**

There was a sigh of relief.

**On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. **

"Did you Apparate or fly?" Remus asked.

Harry thought for a moment and shrugged. His mother looked at him, "You might have flown I did that when I was a child." Harry smiled glad to be learning more about his parents.

**The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed the wind must have caught him mid jump.**

"That's a terrible excuse Harry," James said.

**But today, nothing was going to wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room.**

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects. **

"Wow he really likes to talk about you doesn't he?" Lee said.

**This morning, it was motorcycles.**

Snuffles looked at the book an irritated look on his face like he was asking what was wrong with motorcycles.

**"…roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.**

**"I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."**

"Not the best thing to say Harry," Hermione said making Harry roll his eyes.

"I know that now 'Mione."

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!"**

**Dudley and Piers sniggered.**

**"I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream."**

**But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his taking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon – they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.**

"Harry? Where can we get…" "….these cartoons?" the twins asked as they and Mira looked at Harry wearing mischievious grins.

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursley's bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop. **

"It was actually quite good," Harry said forestalling any protests from his friends.

**It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond. **

"What did that gorilla ever do to you?" Mira asked Harry who looked sheepish.

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him. **

Those who cared for Harry glared at the book.

**They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first.**

"Spoilt brat," Hermione grumbled.

**Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last.**

Harry started to get nervous knowing what was coming next and was worried about what the reactions to him speaking Parseltongue would be.

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon**

"Wow that's big," a second year said.

**'s car and crushed it into a trash can **

"Ah or not," the same young boy said.

Harry snorted, "If anything it's bigger since it could wrap twice around something that can hold both Vernon and Dudley."

**but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.**

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.**

**"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.**

**"Do it again," Dudley order. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

"Animal cruelty," Charlie growled angrily.

**"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.**

**Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself – no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house.**

"Comparing yourself to a snake, Potter?" Pansy sneered.

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's. **

**_It winked. _**

"Snakes don't have eyelids though so how did it wink?" a seventh year Ravenclaw asked confused.

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too.**

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly:**

**_"I get that all the time." _**

**"I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."**

Harry looked down at the ground at this worried about what his parents would think. Lily walked over wrapped him in a hug saying, "We don't care that you're a Parselmouth Harry."

Harry looked at her and his father when James said, "We love you no matter what." He hugged Harry who smiled.

"The rest of us already knew thanks to Skeeter's article last year," Veronica told Harry.

"And we don't care," Remus said and Sirius barked in agreement.

"I told you," Hermione told Harry grinning.

Fudge stood up after speaking in low tones with Umbridge. "Harry Potter you are hereby under arrest for practice of Dark magic." There uproar from Harry's friends and fellow Gryffindors as well as the D.A. and some of the students in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Just because they didn't necessarily believe Harry didn't mena they didn't think that Fudge was wrong in arresting Harry just because he could speak to snakes.

Harry's parents, Remus, Sirius, Molly and Arthur were seething. Harry was about to get up and ask Fudge just what the hell was Dark about being able to speak to snakes when his father laid a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry it'll be handled," James whispered to his son.

"How would Amelia Bones be able to overrule the Minister?" Harry replied. "He didn't even consult her and she's the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"It won't be Amelia defending you right now." Remus replied. Harry looked over at him confused and saw Veronica sitting in her seat hands balled into fists and eyes hard.

Veronica stood up and turned to face the Minister of Magic. Her magic was crackling around her like lightning and her long black hair was being blown back from her face. When she spoke her voice was steely, "On what grounds Minister?"

Fudge glared at her, "I already told you. Practice of Dark Magic."

"First of all Harry was not aware he was even speaking Parseltongue as he had absolutely no knowledge of the wizarding world if these first two chapters have been any indication of what his home life was like. Secondly-"

"Now listen-" Fudge started to say.

"No you listen Minister. And I highly doubt you'll still have that position after these readings," Veronica snapped.

"How dare you!" Umbridge shrieked. The whole Hall was staring at Veronica in fearful amazement at both the strength of her magic and how she was speaking to both the Minister and the toad, who everyone hated (except Filch). Amelia was smirking glad to see someone yelling at Fudge. She would've spoken out against him ages ago, however, there needed to be someone who was fair and unbiased as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and if she spoke out against Fudge he would've fired her and placed one of his lackey's in her position. Though if Veronica hadn't stood up she would've and her job be damned.

Veronica glared at Umbridge before turning back to Fudge and continuing, "Secondly Harry had not even turned eleven at this time and therefore had not been admitted to Hogwarts yet and as such cannot have charges pressed for anything magical he did at the time." Fudge opened his mouth to say something but shut it just as quickly Veronica's eyes narrowed.

"Thirdly 'Practice of Dark Magic' is such a broad topic you would have to arrest every single witch or wizard who has ever hexed or jinxed someone as hexes and jinxes are classified as Dark spells as they affect an object or a person in a negative manner."

"Just how do you know so much about Dark Magic?" Umbridge asked. "Did you husband teacher you about them and now you're teaching your daughter?" James's eyes narrowed at this and he looked at Sirius wondering why the hell someone would think that Sirius, the black sheep of the Black family would be a practitioner of the Dark Arts.

"The reason I, Veronica Leilah Black née Marise," Veronica said causing many of the pure-blood Slytherins to look at each other in shock as they had thought that the Marise family had been wiped out by the end of the first wizarding war. "I was born to one of the darkest wizarding families that there was. From the time I was born to when I finally escaped that hellhole of a house when I was seventeen my parents schooled me and my sister in what they called the 'purest magic', which is a load of crap, and they drilled politics and laws into my head wanting me to be their precious little lawyer even though I was constantly rebelling against them. I would never teach my daughter the Dark Arts and neither would my husband. Neither of us would even perform Dark Magic and we'd wish that we'd never seen any of it during our childhood. So now that we've cleared up my unfortunate heritage, let me ask you a question. What the bloody hell is evil about being able to converse with snakes in their tongue? I don't see the ability to speak in any other languages being seen as supposedly evil." Her last words had a hissing sound to them making Harry stare at her in shock.

"Is she a Parselmouth as well?" he asked his parents in a low voice. They nodded as up at the teachers' table Fudge was spluttering in shock.

Umbridge was practically snarling in anger. She whipped her wand out and shot some spell that was most likely a curse at Veronica. Veronica had only managed to get her wand halfway out when the curse bounced off a shield that appeared in front of her. Sirius stepped in front of his wife his wand out keeping the shield in place. "I would appreciate it if you wouldn't curse my wife." Several people stared in shock at the notorious mass murderer calmly standing in the Great Hall protecting his wife.

"Aurors! Arrest him!" Fudge cried.

Several of the windows shattered and Veronica glared at Fudge. "For what?"

"Note to self," Fred whispered to Mira, "don't piss off your mom."

"For betraying the Potters to Voldemort, killing Peter Pettigrew and thirteen Muggles and being an unregistered Animagus." Fudge replied in a 'duh' voice.

"Of which I'm only guilty of one of those charges," Sirius said as James gave a shout of anger.

"Why the hell would Sirius betray us to Voldemort?" James asked walking up to stand next to his best friend. "He's my best friend."

"He was your Secret Keeper or had you forgotten that," Umbridge sneered.

"Yeah he _was_," James said. "Key word there was was."

"We switched our Secret Keeper to Peter the other day backin our time," Lily explained walking up to stand on the other side of Sirius who was still in front of Veronica. "It was Sirius's idea as he being the Secret Keeper was fairly obvious."

"Peter killed those Muggles and faked his death to frame me and keep his cover as a Death Eater spy," Sirius explained.

"You were found guilty at the trial," Fudge replied pompously as if that settled everything.

"Lies," Veronica hissed stepping to stand at her husband's left side. "Sirius was never given a trial. Check your records. Barty Crouch tossed him in Azkaban without a trial."

"I'm prepared to swear under Veritaserum that I never killed those Muggles, Peter Pettigrew who is very much alive unfortunately, or betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort," Sirius said.

"I can give you some proof right now that he isn't a Death Eater," Veronica said. "Give me your arm love." Sirius held out his left arm to her and she pulled up the sleeve to show a completely unblemished forearm.

"No Dark Mark here," Sirius said. "As to being an unregistered Animagus. I never had an opportunity to register."

"We both became Animagi in our fifth year at Hogwarts," James said. "We were going to register after we got out of school but then realized that being an unregistered Animagus would be a big help during the war so we decided that we'd register after the war was over. Obviously neither of us got the chance."

Amelia stood up, "Harry Potter is not under arrest," here she glared at the toad and Minister, "and Sirius Black is to be given a proper trial after these readings and will be allowed to stay in his human form for the rest of the reading."

"Thank you Madam Bones," Dumbledore said. "I'm sure evidence will be provided to back up their story in the third book."

Harry and Mira let out a shout of happiness and Veronica punched Sirius on the arm. "You idiot I was perfectly capable of handling myself."

Sirius rubbed his arm, "Yeah well I wasn't about to let the pink toad curse you." Veronica smiled and kissed him earning wolf whistles from James.

"Oh shut it James," Veronica said as they headed back to their seats where she sat with Sirius's arms around her.

"Shall we begin reading again?" Dumbledore asked and after confirmation McGonagall started to read again.

**The snake nodded vigorously.**

**"Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked.**

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.**

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**

**"Was it nice there?"**

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see – so you've never been to Brazil?"**

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump. "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T _BELIEVE_ WHAT IT'S DOING!"**

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

**"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs. **

"Leave my godson/son alone," Sirius, Veronica, James and Lily shouted.

**Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened – one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.**

"What happened?" a first year Slytherin asked.

The majority of the Hall laughed. Served those idiots right.

**Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished. The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.**

"That's advanced magic Mr. Potter," Professor Flitwick said impressed.

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come… Thanksss, amigo."**

"Wow a nice snake," Ron said grinning.

"So that's what you were talking about," Hermione said remembering the incident at the Dueling Club and their talk afterwards.

**The keeper of the reptile house has in shock.**

**"But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"**

"Into nonbeing which is to say everything," Luna said.

"Nicely said Miss Lovegood," Professor McGonagall said. "5 points to Ravenclaw."

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. But wore of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"**

"Drama queens," a Ravenclaw said.

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go – cupboard – stay – no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.**

"_No meals?" _Lily and Jamesgrowled magic coming off them in waves. Remus's eyes were turning amber and Sirius and Veronica were growling like the canines they were.

Madam Pomfrey looked at Harry deciding to get him into the hospital wing soon for a full check up. She pulled out a piece of parchment to make note of all his injuries for now starting with malnurishment and cramped living quarters.

**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.**

"You shouldn't have to sneak food in your own house," Arthur sighed.

"That's the Marauder in you," James said grinning. "Are you a prankster?"

Harry shook his head making James practically pout in disappointment and Lily to sigh in relief. "Mira is though," Harry told his dad who grinned.

"I'm sorry for you Roni," Lily told her friend who chuckled.

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. **

"That's because they didn't die in a car crash," Sirius said angry at the Dursleys.

**Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead. **

"You can remember that?" a Hufflepuff asked.

Harry nodded before mumbling, "More thanks to the Dementors."

**This, he supposed was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. **

James and Lily flinched at the reminder of their murders.

**He couldn't remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house. **

"You didn't even know what we looked like?" Lily asked sadly.

Harry shook his head. "Not until Christmas time but I have photos now." Remus and Veronica realized why Hagrid had asked them for photos a few years ago.

"Did you know our names?" James asked and Harry shook his head making his parents angry at his aunt and uncle.

**When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; **

"Sorry Harry," Veronica said. "I would've but I didn't know where you were." Remus nodded in agreement. Sirius sighed wishing even more that he had never gone after the damn rat.

**the Dursleys were his only family. Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe he hoped) that the strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. **

"Dedalus Diggle," Remus said shaking his head.

**After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. **

Tonks looked at Kingsley wondering if that was him.

**The weirdest thing about all these people was the way the seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look.**

"That's Apparition Harry," Hermione said smiling.

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody like to disagree with Dudley's gang.**

"We would," all of Harry's friends and family said.

"Who's reading next?" McGonagall asked.

"I will," Flitwick said bringing the book to him.


	4. Chapter 4

**First of all thanks so much to The-Delectable-May-Reach who sent me all seven books typed up. Hopefully this will make updating quicker.**

**Secondly Beside Moonlight correctly guessed that C.S.B. and J.E.B. are Blacks so if you want to guess what their first and middle names are feel free. Here's a hint both of them have at least one name that follows the Black tradition.**

**Anyways on to the story.**

* * *

Professor Flitwick opened the book to the correct page.

**Letters From No One **

"Yes! You're getting your Hogwarts letter!" James cheered.

"But then why is it plural?" Remus wondered.

Lily's eyes narrowed. "Petunia if you kept my son's letters from him you'll be sorry."

** The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-ever punishment. By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays had started **

"When is Dudley's birthday Harry?" Hermione asked eyes narrowed.

"June 23," Harry sighed knowing his best friend well enough that she won't stop until she got an answer.

"A month?" Hermione growled. "You were in that cupboard for a month? What about school?"

Harry shrugged, "They said I was sick."

**and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches. **

"Horrible child," Molly grumbled.

**Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader. **

"Like Malfoy's gang with Crabbe as the leader," Harry said causing chuckles from his family and friends. Malfoy had thought about glowering but realized that Potter had only said the truth that time.

**The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: Harry Hunting. **

"How about we…" "…introduce him too…" "Dudley Hunting," Fred, George and Mira said.

**This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came he would be going off to **

"Hogwarts," James cheered.

**secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings. Piers Polkiss was going there too. Harry, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local public school.**

"No Hogwarts," Sirius said.

**Dudley thought this was very funny. **

**"They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Harry. "Want to come upstairs and practice?" **

**"No, thanks," said Harry. "The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it — it might be sick." Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he'd said. **

"Why aren't you normally this funny Harry?" Mira asked through her giggles. She was leaning on Fred as she tried to catch her breath.

Harry shrugged, "Been too busy."

**One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg's. Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years. **

Remus spluttered in indignation. "He's a chocoholic," James explained to those who were looking at his friend curiously.

Fred chuckled as he saw Mira's expression of indignation as well. "I don't think he's the only one right Mira?" Mira stuck her tongue at him and swatted Fred on the arm playfully.

**That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters. **

All the fashionistas in the school looked like they would be sick at that description and even some of the other students did as well.

**They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life. **

There were several grumbles from the female members of staff at this.

**As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. **

"Can't have had very many then," Neville said much to the shock of everyone.

**Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, he looked so handsome and grown-up. Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh. **

He didn't have a problem this time.

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast.**

"Please tell me Petunia isn't cooking," Lily said grimacing.

"She isn't," Harry replied.

** It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water. **

**"What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question. **

**"Your new school uniform," she said. **

**Harry looked in the bowl again. **

**"Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet." **

_Sarcasm doesn't work on her Potter, _Snape thought.

** "Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dying some of Dudley's old things gray for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished." **

**Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High — like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.**

"She can buy her son several expensive presents but won't buy you a school uniform?" Lily asked shocked and angry.

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table. **

**They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat. **

**"Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper. **

"Wow he is actually making the whale do something," a Gryffindor fourth year said.

**"Make Harry get it." **

**"Get the mail, Harry." **

"Or not," the fourth year amended.

"Harry," Ron said. "He said your name."

Harry looked at the book in shock.

**"Make Dudley get it." **

**"Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley." **

**Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill and— a letter for Harry. **

**Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. Who would? **

"Ginny," the twins said grinning.

"We did," Veronica said gesturing to Mira and Remus as well as herself.

"Where did the letters go then?" Harry wondered.

"A vault in Gringotts until you wanted to get them," Dumbledore answered. Harry grinned and Ginny went pink.

**He had no friends, no other relatives**

"You do now," Harry's friends chorused.

"And you have other relatives," Veronica said. "Your grandmother was a Black so Sirius is your distant cousin and since all pureblood families are related we're probably cousins by blood somehow."

**he didn't belong to the library, so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake: **

**Mr. H. Potter **

**The Cupboard under the Stairs **

**4 Privet Drive **

**Little Whinging **

**Surrey **

"We need to check the letters before they are sent out Albus," McGonagall said.

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp. **

Professor Burbage wrote that down on her list.

**Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, **

The Gryffindors, past and present, cheered.

**an eagle,**

The Ravenclaws and Veronica cheered.

**a badger, **

Tonks cheered with the Hufflepuffs.

**and a snake **

Silence.

**surrounding a large letter H. **

**"Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke. **

"That was a joke?" George asked staring at the book.

**Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter. He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope. **

"You should have opened it in the hall mate," Ron said shaking his head.

"I know that now," Harry replied.

"Hindsight is a bitch," Mira said.

**Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard. **

**"Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk…" **

**"Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry's got something!" **

"And it's no business of yours," Ginny sneered.

**Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon. **

**"That's mine!" said Harry, trying to snatch it back. **

** "Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon, **

"Ginny," Ron said before cowering under his sister glare that was just like her mother's.

**shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the grayish white of old porridge. **

"I'm not eating porridge again," Ron said looking sick.

**"P-P-Petunia!" he gasped. **

**Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise. **

**"Vernon! Oh my goodness — Vernon!" **

"Drama queen," Lily huffed.

**They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick.**

**"I want to read that letter," he said loudly. **

"You don't have the right as it's my son's," James snapped.

**"I want to read it," said Harry furiously, "as it's mine." **

"Uh oh," Hermione and Ron said.

"What is it?" Charlie asked.

"Harry's temper," Hermione explained.

** "Get out, both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope. **

**Harry didn't move. **

"Here it comes," Ron said.

**"I WANT MY LETTER!" he shouted. **

"Definitely Lily's temper," James chuckled as Remus, Sirius, and Veronica nodded in agreement.

**"Let me see it!" demanded Dudley. **

**"OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen door behind them.**

Lily growled viciously.

** Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole; **

"Go Harry!" the twins cheered.

Mira shook her head, "Why are you fighting the whale over the keyhole when the crack between the door and the floor is so much better?"

Harry didn't answer.

**Dudley won, so Harry, his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at the crack between door and floor. **

Harry looked at Mira and grinned, "Because I knew he'd win so better make him think he gotten the better spot." Mira smiled and nodded in approval.

**"Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address — how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?" **

**"Watching — spying — might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly. **

"Oh yes that's what we spend all our time doing," Tonks said sarcastically.

"Though maybe someone should have checked in on him occasionally," Kingsley mused.

**"But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want —" **

**Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen. **

**"No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer… Yes, that's best… we won't do anything…" **

**"But —" **

"Listen to her Walrus, Petunia knows what she's talking about," Lily growled.

**"I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?" **

There was silence at this. "Stamp out?" Molly shrieked.

Dumbledore's eyes darkened, "Mr. Potter did they ever beat you."

Harry shook his head, "No only empty threats, besides Dudley's gang when they could catch me."

The hall let out a sigh of relief even the Slytherins because not even Potter deserved to have his magic stamped out. They knew what could happen if that happened.

Harry was slightly confused until Sirius explained in a low voice what could happen if his magic had been stamped out.

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Harry in his cupboard. **

**"Where's my letter?" said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. "Who's writing to me?" **

"Wow he fit?" Ron asked shocked remembering the size of Vernon.

"Barely," Harry chuckled.

**"No one. It was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly. "I have burned it." **

Amelia wrote destruction of private letters on her list.

**"It was not a mistake," said Harry angrily, "it had my cupboard on it." **

**"SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling. He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful. **

Ron shuddered at the mention of spiders.

**"Er — yes, Harry — about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking… you're really getting a bit big for it… we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom. **

"SECOND BEDROOM?!" Lily screeched before muttering various things she would like to do to her sister.

**"Why?" said Harry. **

**"Don't ask questions!" snapped his uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs, now." **

"Why were you questioning it?" Cho asked.

"They never did anything nice so I was wondering why they decided to change their minds." Harry replied.

**The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms: one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom. **

"THAT PIG HAD TWO BEDROOMS?!" Lily yelled.

"Yeah you definitely have your mum's temper," Ron told Harry.

**It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room. He sat down on the bed and stared around him. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor's dog; in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favorite program had been canceled; there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it. **

Lily was grumbling in annoyance at the fact that all that stuff could have been thrown out and the room freed up for Harry.

**Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched.**

Hermione, Remus, Veronica, and the Ravenclaws looked scandalized at that.

**From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, "I don't want him in there… I need that room… make him get out…" **

**Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday he'd have given anything to be up here. Today he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it.**

"Er…" a first year wondered.

**Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof, and he still didn't have his room back. Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly. **

"Good it's about time someone told that kid no," Molly said. "If any of my children tried that…" All the Weasley children, including Percy, winced.

**When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, made Dudley go and get it. They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, "There's another one! 'Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive —'" **

"More like he was trying to make sure you wouldn't get your letter," Hermione grumbled glaring at the book.

"Why did he yell that there was another one if he wanted to read it?" Hannah asked.

"Because he's an idiot," Ernie replied.

**With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind. **

Ron and Hermione laughed and Harry grinned. "I see you had practice," Ron said.

**After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand. **

**"Go to your cupboard — I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Harry. "Dudley — go — just go." **

**Harry walked round and round his new room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan. **

"If they're anything like James's…" Remus said earning a glare from said person.

"That hurts Moony," James said.

"It's true Prongs," Sirius said. "Why did you think we had Moony plan our…" he glanced up at the staff table before continuing, "…outings? Your plans didn't work unless they were spur of the moment."

James stuck his tongue out at his two friends.

**The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights. **

**He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first. **

"Not bad," Ron said. "But something's going to go wrong. Besides the letters are delivered by owl."

Harry glared at him. "It's not like I knew that Ron."

**His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall toward the front door — **

**"AAAAARRRGH!" **

**Harry leapt into the air; he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat — something alive! **

"Is it the Uncle?" Mira asked bouncing in her seat slightly. Fred chuckled watching her. George elbowed him in the side and grinned at him.

**Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face. **

"YES!" Mira cheered.

**Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do. He shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea. Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time he got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Harry could see three letters addressed in green ink. **

**"I want —" he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes. **

Growls came from every corner of the hall. You just don't tear up a Hogwarts letter….ever.

**Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot. **

**"See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't deliver them they'll just give up." **

**"I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon." **

"Listen to her she knows what she's talking about," Lily growled.

**"Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me," said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him. **

"Thank goodness for that," Veronica said.

"Wait how can you use a fruitcake for a hammer?" a Muggleborn Hufflepuff asked.

Harry shrugged, "It's my aunt's cooking, which is why I normally cooked.

**On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Harry. As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom. **

**Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" as he worked, and jumped at small noises. **

"Someone's paranoid," Tonks sang looking at Moody out of the corner of her eyes a grin on her face.

**On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Harry found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window. While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor. **

"Wow that's creative," Dean said.

**"Who on earth wants to talk to you this badly?" Dudley asked Harry in amazement. **

The twins opened their mouths but seeing Ginny fingering her wand closed them again.

** On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy. **

**"No post on Sundays," he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, "no damn letters today —" **

"He has definitely lost it," James said shaking his head. "Marmalade on the newspaper."

**Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one — **

"Why wouldn't you pick one up off the floor?" Zacharias Smith sneered.

Harry shrugged and when Angelina and the rest of the team went to say maybe it was his Quidditch skills Harry shook his head slightly at them. He had an idea.

**"Out! OUT!" **

**Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall. **

Harry's parents and honorary aunt and uncles growled.

**When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor. **

**"That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his mustache at the same time. "I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!" **

** He looked so dangerous with half his mustache missing that no one dared argue. **

"Well he was just pulling it out and was purple," Harry said thinking back.

**Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag. **

"Well it's about time," Molly grumbled.

"Wow your cousin really is an idiot thinking all that could fit in his bag," Colin said chuckling.

**They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while. **

**"Shake 'em off… shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this. **

"Someone's lost it," a Slytherin muttered.

**They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer. **

"Welcome to Harry's life," Ginny spat.

**Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Harry shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering… **

**They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day. They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table. **

"That's not breakfast!" Ron protested.

**"'Scuse me, but is one of you Mr. H. Potter? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk." **

"Wow that's a lot of letters." Someone said.

**She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address: **

**Mr. H. Potter **

**Room 17 **

**Railview Hotel **

**Cokeworth **

**Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared. **

"Don't just stare," Hermione hissed.

**"I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room. **

**"Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, **

"Yes listen to her and give my son his letter," Lily hissed.

**but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her. Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage. **

**"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon. Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared. **

"You know it's bad if the pig can tell," Bill said.

**It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley sniveled. **

**"It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television." **

**Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it was Monday — and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days the week, because of television — then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday. **

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY!" the twins and Mira cried grinning.

"You know my birthday isn't for a few months," Harry replied smiling.

"So?" George asked.

**Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun — last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks. **

Lily and James growled vowing that if they could change the future they would. Remus, Sirius, and Veronica were swearing that Harry would get spoiled on his next birthday.

**Still, you weren't eleven every day. **

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling. He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought. **

Hermione's eyes narrowed and then widened, "Please tell me that isn't what I think it is."

**"Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!" **

**It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain, there was no television in there. **

**"Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!" **

**A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them. **

**"I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!" **

**It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house. **

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms. **

**Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas. He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shriveled up. **

"That isn't rations!" Ron protested.

**"Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully. **

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail. Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all. **

"Pessimist," Hermione coughed looking at Harry innocently when he looked at her.

**As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket. **

Lily growled again noticing that she was doing that a lot in this chapter.

Madam Pomfrey looked at Harry making another note on her parchment wanting to get him a thorough check up at some point.

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger. Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now. **

"In a drawer in Minnie's desk," James said grinning. McGonagall groaned. She really didn't want to have to deal with the Marauders, the twins, and Mira all together.

**Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did. Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow. **

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea? **

"I hope not," Lily said.

**One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds… twenty… ten… nine — maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him **

"Do it!" the twins and Mira cheered.

** three… two… one… **

**BOOM. **

**The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in. **

"Who's that?" Seamus asked.

"My first friend," Harry said smiling over at Hagrid.

James had a sudden thought. "Hey Harry do you play Quidditch?"

Harry shook his head, "Why would I? It's dull."

James looked like he'd just been clubbed over the head with a frying pan and everyone that knew about Harry's Quidditch skills had to keep from laughing.

"So who's going to read next?" Flitwick asked.

"I will Professor," Hermione said and the Charm's professor levitated the book over to her.

* * *

**I've started writing a Harry Potter and Percy Jackson crossover where they read both sets of books and should be up later today if anyone is interested.**


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione took the book and started to read while James was still staring into space in shock that his son thought Quidditch was dull.

**Chapter 4 The Keeper of the Keys **

**BOOM. **

"Hermione," the twins whined. "You're supposed to shout it."

"I'd rather not be deaf thank you," Hermione replied.

**They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake. **

**"Where's the cannon?" he said stupidly. **

**There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands – now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them. **

"He brought a what?!" Hermione and Lily shrieked.

"What's a rifle?" Veronica and Sirius asked.

"A very dangerous weapon that should not be around children," Lily growled glaring at the book and wishing that Vernon was here so she could hex him.

**"Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you — I'm armed!" **

**There was a pause. Then — **

**SMASH! **

**The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor. **

**A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair. **

"HAGRID!" the Gryffindors, Charlie, Bill, and some of the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs cheered much to Umbridge's distaste.

_Filthy half breed, _she thought.

**The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all. **

**"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey…" **

"Typical Hagrid," Charlie said smiling. "Knock down the door and ask for a cup of tea."

**He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear. **

**"Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger. **

**Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother, who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon. **

**"An' here's Harry!" said the giant. **

**Harry looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile. **

**"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mum's eyes." **

"First time I ever heard that," Harry said smiling. "And not the last either."

**Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise. **

**"I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!" **

**"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant; he reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room. **

"Thank you Hagrid for getting that despicable thing out of the way," Lily said.

**Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on. **

**"Anyway — Harry," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here — I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right." **

**From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in green icing. **

James snickered. "I remember your first birthday cake ended up in Sirius's hair."

Sirius huffed as Veronica laughed, "I remember that."

"And do you remember what happened after that?" Sirius asked smirking. "I decided to share it with you."

Veronica glared at him but the corners of her mouth were twitching.

**Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, "Who are you?" **

**The giant chuckled. **

**"True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." **

**He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm. **

**"What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind." **

"Hagrid," McGonagall scolded.

**His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shriveled chip bags in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Harry felt the warmth wash over him as though he'd sunk into a hot bath. **

"Ha! I want him arrested," Umbridge cried. "He was expelled and his wand snapped."

"He was wrongfully expelled!" Harry yelled at her.

"I gave Hagrid permission to use magic when he went to collect Harry," Dumbledore said. "Miss Granger if you would continue."

**The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea. Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage. Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley." **

**The giant chuckled darkly. **

**"Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry." **

**He passed the sausages to Harry, who was so hungry he had never tasted anything so wonderful, but he still couldn't take his eyes off the giant. Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, he said, "I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are." **

**The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. **

**"Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts — yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course."**

**"Er — no," said Harry. **

"Hagrid won't take that well," Charlie said grinning.

**Hagrid looked shocked. **

**"Sorry," Harry said quickly. **

**"Sorry?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learned it all?" **

**"All what?" asked Harry. **

**"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered. "Now wait jus' one second!" **

Charlie grinned, "YES! The zoo is getting what's coming to them."

"Zoo?" Ginny asked.

"Yes there's a whale, horse and a pig," Charlie explained.

**He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall. **

**"Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this boy — this boy! — knows nothin' abou' — about ANYTHING?" **

Ron groaned, "Harry's going to take that the wrong way."

"Sorry about that 'Arry," Hagrid said.

"It's fine Hagrid," Harry said smiling up at the half-giant.

**Harry thought this was going a bit far. He had been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad. **

**"I know some things," he said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff." **

**But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world." **

**"What world?" **

**Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode. **

**"DURSLEY!" he boomed. **

**Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like "Mimblewimble." Hagrid stared wildly at Harry. **

**"But yeh must know about yer mom and dad," he said. "I mean, they're famous. You're famous." **

**"What? My — my mom and dad weren't famous, were they?" **

"You know as much as I like the fact that I'm famous I'd rather it be for something other than getting killed by Voldemort while protecting my family," James said.

**"Yeh don' know… yeh don' know…" Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare. **

**"Yeh don' know what yeh are?" he said finally. **

**Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice. **

**"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!" **

**A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage. **

**"You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from him all these years?" **

**"Kept what from me?" said Harry eagerly. **

**"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic. **

**Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror. **

**"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry — yer a wizard." **

**There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard. **

**"I'm a what?" gasped Harry. **

"Nice reaction," Draco sneered.

"I was in shock," Harry snapped.

**"A wizard, o' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good 'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter." **

**Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to Mr. H. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea. He pulled out the letter and read: **

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY **

**Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE **

**(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards) **

**Dear Mr. Potter, **

**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. **

**Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. **

** Yours sincerely, **

** Minerva McGonagall, **

**Deputy Headmistress **

**Questions exploded inside Harry's head like fireworks and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes he stammered, "What does it mean, they await my owl?" **

"That's the first thing you ask?" a Ravenclaw asked.

"The letter was due that day so I wondered what it meant." Harry replied.

**"Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl — a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl — a long quill, and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Harry could read upside down: **

"Wow you read that upside down?" Mira asked. Harry nodded.

**Dear Professor Dumbledore, **

**Given Harry his letter. **

**Taking him to buy his things tomorrow. **

** Weather's horrible. Hope you're well. **

** Hagrid **

**Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone. **

**Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly. **

**"Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight. **

**"He's not going," he said. **

**Hagrid grunted. **

**"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him," he said. **

**"A what?" said Harry, interested. **

**"A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call nonmagic folk like them. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on." **

"Literally and figuratively," Veronica said.

**"We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed!" **

**"You knew?" said Harry. "You knew I'm a — a wizard?" **

**"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that — that school — and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was — a freak! But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!" **

**She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years. **

"She has," Lily said sadly. James put his arm around her and pulled her close and unknown to him Snape was looking on jealously.

**"Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as — as —abnormal — and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!" **

"That's how you found out?" Professor Sprout asked sadly. No child should find out how their parents died in that way.

**Harry had gone very white. As soon as he found his voice he said, "Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!" **

**"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!" **

**"But why? What happened?" Harry asked urgently. **

**The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious. **

**"I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Harry, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh — but someone's gotta — yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'." **

Harry shuddered, "That would've been bad."

"No kidding," Ron said. "You'd be freaking out more than you already were wondering why people were staring at you."

**He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys. **

**"Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh — mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it…" **

**He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with — with a person called — but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows —" **

**"Who?" **

**"Well — I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does." **

"He won't say it Harry," Remus said.

"we tried several times but it didn't work," Sirius said.

**"Why not?" **

**"Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went… bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was…" **

**Hagrid gulped, but no words came out. **

**"Could you write it down?" Harry suggested. **

**"Nah — can't spell it. All right —Voldemort. "**

Sirius, Remus, James and Charlie stared at Harry in shock.

**Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this — this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too — some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches… terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him — an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway. **

"I wouldn't be surprised if he does at some point," Luna said.

** "Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before… probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side. **

**"Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em… maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. **

Lily and James exchanged glances knowing why they'd been targeted. They looked at Dumbledore and then at Harry and noticed that Harry didn't know why. Lily glared at Dumbledore slightly for keeping that information from her son.

**All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' — an' —" **

**Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn. **

**"Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad — knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find — anyway… **

**"You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then — an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing — he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh — took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even — but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry. No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age — the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts — an' you was only a baby, an' you lived." **

Susan sobbed as her parents were among those killed and her friend comforted her.

The Weasleys looked down in sadness with Molly sobbing into Arthur's shoulder. Veronica explained to Harry that the Prewetts were Molly's brothers.

**Something very painful was going on in Harry's mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before — and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold, cruel laugh. **

**Hagrid was watching him sadly. **

**"Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot… ." **

**"Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched. **

**"Now, you listen here, boy," he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured — and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdoes, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion — asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types — just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end —" **

"How dare he!" Veronica yelled.

"The world isn't better off without them dumb Dursley," Sirius growled.

**But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley — I'm warning you — one more word…" **

**In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent. **

**"That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor. **

**Harry, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them. **

**"But what happened to Vol-, sorry — I mean, You-Know-Who?" **

**"Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see… he was gettin' more an' more powerful — why'd he go? **

**"Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back. **

"See he's dead!" Fudge said and Harry rolled his eyes.

"No he isn't and you'll see that by the end of this book." Harry said.

**"Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on — I dunno what it was, no one does — but somethin' about you stumped him, all right." **

**Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake. A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? He'd spent his life being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if he was really a wizard, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock him in his cupboard? If he'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football? **

"Unfortunately magic doesn't work like that," Remus said.

"Yeah or else my family would've been turned into hopping toads ages ago," Sirius and Veronica said at the same time.

**"Hagrid," he said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard." **

**To his surprise, Hagrid chuckled. **

**"Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?" **

**Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it… every odd thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry… chased by Dudley's gang, he had somehow found himself out of their reach… dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back… and the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he got his revenge, without even realizing he was doing it? Hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him? **

"Actually you set it free but same thing really," Bill said.

**Harry looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at him. **

**"See?" said Hagrid. "Harry Potter, not a wizard — you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts." **

**But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight. **

**"Haven't I told you he's not going?" he hissed. "He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and he needs all sorts of rubbish — spell books and wands and —" **

**"If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop him," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter's son goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. His name's been down ever since he was born. He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and he won't know himself. He'll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an' he'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had Albus Dumbled—" **

**"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon. **

Charlie cheered, "Oh Dursley's in for it now."

**But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, "NEVER —" he thundered, "— INSULT — ALBUS — DUMBLEDORE — IN — FRONT — OF — ME!" **

**He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley — there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers. **

Three quarters of the hall burst into cheers and laughter at that and some of the Slytherins even cracked smiles. Some of the professors also smiled at the bully getting his just desserts.

**Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them. **

**Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard. **

**"Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do." **

That brought about more laughter.

**He cast a sideways look at Harry under his bushy eyebrows. **

**"Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "I'm — er — not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff — one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job." **

**"Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry. **

**"Oh, well — I was at Hogwarts meself but I — er — got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore." **

**"Why were you expelled?" **

"He won't tell you," Charlie said. "He always changes the subject."

James saw the looks on the trio's faces. "You know don't you."

Harry nodded, "Next book but it wasn't his fault."

**"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that." **

**He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry. **

**"You can kip under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets." **

"Ew!" Lavender shrieked.

"It was probably food for the owl," Dean said.

"Alright who's going to read next?" Hermione asked.

Lily took the book, "I want to read about my son's first trip to Diagon Alley."


End file.
